Out WIth the Old and In With the New: The Art on our Walls

I am happy to say that Aaron's been selling quite a few paintings as of late.

I am sad to say that I miss them when they go.

To see him making his art, the things that are inside him and who he is, and to know that people get it and like it, well, it's wonderful.

Making art makes Aaron happy.

Making art that people enjoy makes Aaron happy.

All of this makes me happy, too.

I guess it's just that even when it's for a good reason, it's still always hard to say good-bye.

The first big painting he did for us, one that hung on our walls through James' first 3 years of life, and then sold to a friend, is still missed.

It was a pair of giant Converse high tops.  (see it here)

James learned what a star was from that painting while it hung in our living room.

He still talks about it sometimes.

Then there was this painting that Aaron sold a while back.

James actually cried when he found out Aaron sold it.

We recently said goodbye to our trailer, Bambi.

Many of our friends expressed dismay that it was for sale.

"It is so you!' they said, "you can't sell it."

But Aaron took it off our walls.

Still, when Aaron got the call that it had sold, he said he felt just a little bit sick to his stomach.

It was a real favorite.

That's the hard thing about the art on our walls--it becomes a part of us, and thus, it is hard to say good-bye.

It's exciting to watch Aaron's paintings sell, and to know that people love them like we do.

But I won't say we don't miss them.

The above painting, "I Like Eich" is Aaron's newest.

I love it so much.

So, so, much.

If you are at all a fan of mid-century architecture, then you are probably familiar with the name, Joseph Eichler.

You know his houses.

And, if you are like me, you wouldn't mind living in one some day.

This painting celebrates the classic Eichler houses.

The windows, the roof lines, and the clean, modern look that makes them so special.

Eichler was not the architect, but the developer of the communities that bear his name.

But because he had an penchant for modern design, his houses all share a similar design sense.

It's one that Aaron and I, and many other people, like very much.

Aaron designed the painting and it is all painted free hand.

He is amazing like that.

It's perfect for someone who really Likes Eich!

Right now, there is only one painting, but he hopes to make prints like it soon.

Which is good news to me, because he took this painting off my kitchen wall this morning and took it to sell at Just Modern in Palm Springs.

Hopefully I'll at least get a print, right?

If you've been reading my blogs for any amount of time, you might remember some of the other paintings that we've had hanging in the house.

First there was ICE.

I loved ICE and we had it for a couple of years before Aaron thought of selling it.

He sold it ast week.

Getting this note from the new owner helped:

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm the new owner of "ICE" - just purchased it today from a shop in Palm Springs.  From the second I saw it, I loved it! "

That's the kind of thing that makes an artist's heart happy.

And his wife's heart swell with pride.

After ICE was gone, Aaron made the Bear, which he titled Promised Land.
I also loved this one.
We didn't have him up for too long.
He sold at Aaron's recent show.

I suppose the reason we love these paintings so much, aside from the fact that Aaron made them and we're his biggest fans and think everything he does is great, is that they are just a part of our life in our home.

We do a lot of living with these paintings.

See?

And now that Eich is gone, the wall in the kitchen looks awfully bare.

Good thing I know an artist who can fill it back up again.

At least for a while.

You know what they say, the cobbler's children never have shoes, the doctor's children are always sick, and the artist's home always has bare walls.

Perhaps it's time for me to commission my artist for my very own piece.
The kids want their own paintings too.
We all thought it high time Aaron make each of the kids their very own painting to keep for always.
He was going to do it for Christmas.
But in the hustle and bustle of it all, we both forgot.
I think some birthday paintings are in order.
I guess I'm going to be keeping my painter busy for a while.
That is the fun part about all this, I do love seeing what he's going to come up with next.
It's always such a good surprise.

If you're still bothering to read this blog, thanks!
I'm hopeful there will be more regular posts in the new year.
The new year is nothing but full of good hopes, right?
So, I hope I'll be seeing you soon!

Love from,

Greta

PS.  Aaron is working on getting a website up and running where he can show some of his hand carved, linoleum block prints, paintings and hopefully silk screened and giclee prints as well.  

I'll let you know when it's operational.

More Vintage Signs From the Central Coast

Has it really been a month since I last posted here?

There is a part of me that would like to be really bummed out about that, but I am not going to listen to her.

Instead, I am going to tell you that since I last posted school started.

And let me tell you, home schooling this year is kicking me in the booty.

This is the first year where I am schooling both boys.

William was in kinder last year, and I am of the old fashioned mindset about kindergarten: it should not be stressful.  

It should be fun.

It was.

And therefore, it was a relatively easy year for both of us.

But this year there is a bit more work to be done.

Both boys are young enough to need a fair amount, or a lot, of hands on help still.

So, I am quite busy being a full time teacher to the both of them.

And then there is Lilly.

On the first day of school, she sat at the table with us as she always does, drawing picture after picture.

I told the boys it was time for math.

"Where's my math?" she asked.

Sheesh.

So basically I am scrambling because I did not anticipate that my 4 year old would want to be doing a full curriculum with her brothers.

She wants to write, to read, to spell, to do math--the works.

Girls.

They really are different, aren't they?

And then there is David.

I wrote a bit about him here.

Trying to teach school to the big kids, keep up with the house, the yard, cooking, and the myriad of other things on my to do list, all with my busy, busy, 1 year old running around, is almost more than I can handle.

And some days, it is more than I can handle.

Hence the lack of blog posts.

Blogging has fallen to the bottom of the list of things I get to do after I get everything else done.

Because I never do get everything else done, I don't blog.

Anyway, like I said, I am not going to be depressed about this, even though I do miss blogging fiercely.

If you are not an avid blogger you probably don't fully get this.

"It's. A. Blog," you're thinking.  "What's the big deal?"

I know.

But writing and picture taking mean a lot to me.

My mind, my heart and yes, even my soul, are all filled when I am in this space.

So letting it go has been hard.

I feel like I have gone through the 5 stages of grief with this process.

It sounds lame.

But it's true!

It's been a tough road, but I think I have finally made it to the acceptance stage.

I am willing to take what I can get and be thankful for it.

That might mean blogging once a month.

Or twice.

Or maybe even less.

I keep reminding myself that this is a season.

Right now it feels like the end of winter.

I am slogging through the mud looking for the first flowers of spring.

But soon enough, things will change again, and the mud won't be quite so deep.

At least I've got cute, pink rain boots to see me through.

I've also got some more vintage signs to share with you.

We spent last week up north on the Central Coast.

It was utterly beautiful.

And while vacationing with 4 young kids is not relaxing, it was fun.

We had amazing food, soaked up the abundant natural beauty, and went on plenty of fabulous hikes.

We also kept our eyes peeled for vintage signs.

Here are 3 of my favorites.

This one is in downtown San Luis Obispo.  

I've loved it since Aaron and I first visited  SLO, 12 years ago.

This one is from a tiny, little town between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
We drove through it on that same trip to San Luis, 12 years ago, but had forgotten about it.
We drove through again this year, on our way back home.
Davy was sleeping, and the kids were anxious to get to In and Out for dinner, so we didn't get out and walk around, but I did snap this one shot.
I like the looks of this town.
And I like this sign.

And then there is this sign.
Oh how I do love it and all its kitchyness!
Isn't it adorable?
We saw it as we were getting on the on ramp for the 101 in San Luis.
"That's a cool sign!" I yelled.
Aaron got off at the next exit and backtracked to find it for me.
I love that man.

Here's hoping I get back here before another month slips by.
And if you're sticking around through this season I'm in, I do so appreciate it.
Thanks for visiting.
And do come again!
Love from,
Greta

Gone Camping

Hello friends!
We're headed North, to Santa Barbara for a few days of beach camping.
It's the first leg of one of my favorite drives.
And we'll be passing one of my favorite signs--the Wagon Wheel.
The past couple of months have been incredibly busy.
I am so looking forward to some relaxing time with my family.
Well, as relaxing as tent camping with 3 kids and 1 crawling baby can be.
So here's to gourmet s'mores, playing cards by lantern light, exploring new places, and, of course, stopping for vintage signs.
I can't wait!
I'll see you soon with lots of pictures.
Love from,
Greta

March Photo a Day --Week 2

Hey friends!
Here's week 2 of the March Photo a Day Challenge.
I should spread these posts out over the week and pretend I'm blogging with some regularity again, but I'm not going to.
It's fun to post, so I'm going for it.


March 8, 2012:
Window

Davy spends a lot of time at the windows.

He watches his bigs playing outside.

He climbs on his knees and bangs on the glass with his palms.

When he gets tired, he slides to his bottom and still sits there,

watching.

And waiting.

He's waiting for his turn.

Soon, Davy, too soon.

March 9, 2012:
Red

A tea party with my little lady.

She said to me, 

"there's a party in this basket."

And she sat it up on the table.

Water in the cups and pretend cakes.

She loves a tea party.

March 10, 2012:
Loud

Lilly had a sleepover at her cousin's house.

Things were so much quieter with just 1 kid gone.

4 kids are loud.

March 11, 2012:
Someone I talked to today

I talked to this guy today.

And I asked him to stop sharpening his teeth 
on the coffee table.

That grinding sound of teeth on stone, 
might be one of the worst ever.

You're killing me, David!

March 12, 2012:

Fork

Best salad ever.

Fresh greens from the farm.

Homemade dressing.

I can't wait to have a garden.

March 13, 2012: 
Sign

I've been looking for this sign for 4 years.

I saw it then and had no camera with me.

Time passed and I could not recall where it was.

And then one day, 

coming home from baseball practice, there it was,

waiting for me.

"The sign!" I yelled 

and pulled over immediately.

My kids think this is totally normal.

I love old signs.

March 14, 2012:
Clouds

8 am.

A cold and cloudy morning.

They didn't let that stop them.

"We just want to play some catch, Mom."

Sometimes I love them so much it hurts.

There you have it.

Another week done.

If you're playing along, leave a link to your blog or instagram or whatever, and I'll check you out.

I'd love to see your version of these pictures.

Love from,

Greta

Vintage Sign Love

If you're new here, you might not know about my love for vintage signs.

It's kind of an addiction.

Or obsession.

At the very least, it's a collection.

I collect photos of vintage signs.

And I've been doing it for years.

Here's a few I snapped recently.

Don't you just love a good arrow?

The lights in it make it that much better.

The arrow is part of the Roxie Cleaners sign from Belmont Shore.
This sign used to be much cooler.
Then someone decided to "clean it up" and took off the old letters, painted it, added the new, blue letters and changed the sign for the worse.
Don't people know that you don't mess with vintage signs?
Come on now!

So now I mostly like the arrow.
Aaron bought a bunch of the big Christmas lights on clearance after Christmas with hopes of one day making us a light up arrow of our own.
He's got a million and one projects to do, but that one sounds like so much fun!

This is a trailer park sign I have loved for years.
I finally stopped to snap some photos.
As evidenced by the story above, you never know when some fool is going to get rid of a sign.
Document while you can!

I played around with some filters on Photoshop with this picture.

Late night fun for this mama who should be sleeping.

Want to see more of my favorites?

Try here.

Here.

Here.
Or here.  (we're taking another trip to China town soon and I can't wait to see these signs again!)


If you know of a great old sign kinda near here, let me know.
I go on drives just for signs.
No lie.
Love from,
Greta

The Sunset Drive In

The first, and only, drive-in movie I saw was Mary Poppins.
I was little.  Mabey 5?
But I remember it well--the speakers, munching the popcorn my mom brought in a big paper bag, the thrill of watching those silly penguins on the big screen. (you know the penguins are the best scene in that movie)
It was so much fun.

We went to the drive-in in Oceanside.
Some of you fellow Fallbrook or North County readers might have gone there too.
The screens are still there.
So is the parking lot.
Except now it is home to a swap meet every weekend.
It bums me out every time I drive past it on my way home for a Fallbrook visit.
Why did the drive-ins die?

Of Thrifting, Old Signs and Being Married to my Soul Mate

Aaron was out of town last week and I had every intention of blogging each night he was gone.

Because I have missed it.

I was going to get all those Christmas posts done because it is bugging me that I am behind.

And I want to move on.

But each night after I got the kids to bed, before 8 mind you, I fell on the couch, utterly spent.

I often stayed there until I woke up shivering, or heard a child calling me from sleep.

Sleep became far more important than blogging.

Even fractured sleep.

Doing it all, all alone, is tiring.

Even if it's only for a week.

But I'm getting better at it!

The first 3 days felt pretty easy.

And I got a little confident.

That confidence came crashing down the 4th day when I became frustrated with each kid about something or other and desperately wanted a break.

Thankfully I got one.

I dropped the kids off at my friend's house for my every other week, afternoon off.

I needed to clean the house.

I went thrifting instead.

It turned out to be a great day.

I found vintage sheets, vintage thermoses, a new thrift store and when I got a little bit lost, I found this old sign.

I had a few heart palpitations when I saw it.
There I was, in the middle of suburban sprawl, not quite sure where I was, when I happen upon this sign, and this still operational, drive through dairy.

Even more amazing, behind it was, a still operational dairy.
What the what?
Am I in Wisconsin or something?
I guess this all used to be farm land.
I bet it was beautiful.
Now it is surrounded by less than gentrified neighborhoods, the 91 freeway and miles upon miles of sprawl.
Not so beautiful.
But the sign made me happy.
Really, crazy, happy.

I got out and took tons of photos.
Because that's what I like to do for fun.
What made the moment even cooler was this: right as I pulled over to take pictures of the sign, my phone rang.
"Greta? This is Paul."
What?!  Paul!
No way.
Paul, one of Aaron's friends from art days in college, and new dad of a 3 week old baby, wanted to bring dinner over.
Because I was still palpitating over the sign and the fact that Paul was calling right when I saw his name on the sign, it took me a moment to process this.
And then I did.
"What?  I should be bringing you dinner.  And besides, Aaron is out of town."
"I know.  I just talked to him.  That's why Denise and I want to bring dinner to you and the kids."
Wow.
Really?
I almost cried.
Because sometimes, in the midst of solo parenting or not, being taken care of feels really good.
It doesn't take a lot to make someone feel like a million bucks.
Here's to friends who come over bearing pizza!

As soon as I got off the phone with Paul, I called Aaron to tell him about the sign, my vintage sheets and the care of friends.
David was screaming from the back seat, finally fed up with being toted along in his car seat for 2 + hours.
"Where are you?" Aaron asked.
"I don't even know, but this street is so full of amazing signage, I have to come back and take pictures."
In the background: Scream! Scream! Scream!
"Oh my gosh!" This time it was me.
"I just saw the coolest laundry mat ever!  The coolest!"
"Is it the one with the giant clothes pin on it?"
"Yes!!!!"
"I know! It's so cool!"
You see.
SOUL MATES.
(Cue Napoleon Dynamite)
I wonder how many guys out there would be excited with me about the laundry mat with the giant clothes pin?
I guess I'm the lucky one.
I guess  we were just MFEO.
(name that movie)


The next day I took pictures of all my treasures.
These sheets are kinda Brady Bunchish, but imagine them pared with pink, in Lilly's room one day.
I have a vision.

I loved these pillow cases.

And then I found this sheet to go with them.

Not matchy at all, but theysome how work together.

And for our cold and hot beverage needs, vintage thermoses.

A little worn, but sometimes I like things with a patina.

Besides, I never mind adding to the thermos collection.

Some girls go to the spa when they're feeling overwhelmed.
Me?
I hit the thrift store and buy other people's cast offs.
I stop for old signs and swoon over giant clothes pins.
It's cheap fun.
But the spa wouldn't be so bad either.
Love from,
Greta